Macharia Mwangi
27 April 2008
Nairobi — More than 1,000 internal refugees at the Kedong camp in Naivasha took to the streets on Saturday demanding to be addressed by President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
They barricaded the busy Moi South Lake Road, mainly used by flower growers and tourists, as a few policemen watched from a distance.
Trouble started early in the morning after they were informed that they would be joining their colleagues at the nearby Stadium camp where the President and Prime Minster were scheduled to address them later in the day.
The group maintained that they were the "genuine refugees" because they had been displaced from Naivasha town as opposed to their colleagues who came from outside the district.
"Why are they telling us to join our colleagues in the Stadium camp while being aware of the volatile security situation," said the protesters.
They vowed to stay put until their grievances were addressed saying they would resist any move to transport them to the Stadium camp for a joint rally.
The refugees blamed the provincial administration for the confusion, saying the officials had not briefed their seniors properly about the visit.
"It will be an insult for us, if President Kibaki and Mr Raila Odinga failed to address our plight in our camp," they said.
They said they had got conflicting reports over the visit, arguing that they wanted to present their grievances to the two leaders.
Many people living in the camp, the group said, lost all their property and were keen to know how the leaders would address the problem.
A senior police officer at the scene maintained that the President was scheduled to visit the area as he appealed for calm without success.
At one time the angry protesters pelted motorists with stones forcing some to reverse their vehicles at high speed.
The protest caused a heavy traffic snarl-up outside the camp for several hours before vehicles were diverted to an alternative route.
Many travellers through Naivasha complained of delays in reaching their destinations following the more than three hours stand off.
Kedong camp has 1,843 refugees. A majority of them fled the post election violence in Naivasha town that claimed an estimated 30 lives.
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